Shell has confirmed that it plans to sell its South African downstream assets – its service stations and refinery. It will, however, retain its upstream business – the explorative and extractive activities in the Karoo and off the Wild Coast.

The energy group owns about 40,000 fuel service stations around the world. Half the stations are in the Americas. There are 591 retail outlets in South Africa, its 13th-most among the 61 countries where Shell has a presence.

Its refinery in Durban has been inactive since the end of March 2022, when Shell and BP decided to suspend operations and spending.

Shell said in May its decision to divest in South Africa was part of a comprehensive review of its global operations. For the past 10 years, it has been selling off downstream assets in Australia and Africa. It has also been scaling down in Malaysia and South America.